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Mother Land Paperback – May 1, 2018
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To those in her Cape Cod town, Mother is an exemplar of piety, frugality, and hard work. To her husband and seven children, she is a selfish, petty tyrant. She excels at playing her offspring against each other. Her favorite, Angela, died in childbirth; only Angela really understands her, she tells the others. The others include the officious lawyer, Fred; the uproarious professor, Floyd; a pair of inseparable sisters whose devotion to Mother has consumed their lives; and JP, the narrator, a successful writer whose work she disparages. As she lives well past the age of one hundred, her brood struggles with and among themselves to shed her viselike hold on them.
Mother Land is a piercing portrait of how a parent’s narcissism impacts a family. While the particulars of his tale are unique, Paul Theroux encapsulates with acute clarity and wisdom a circumstance that is familiar to millions of readers.
“Paul Theroux ladles a steaming cup of dysfunctional-family chowder in Mother Land.” — Vanity Fair
“An engrossing, emotionally tangled and often merciless examination of family and self . . . Mother Land is a bittersweet, brutally frank family saga that offers enough redemption to make the journey worth it.” — Shelf Awareness
- Print length528 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherMariner Books
- Publication dateMay 1, 2018
- Dimensions5.31 x 1.29 x 8 inches
- ISBN-101328915824
- ISBN-13978-1328915825
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Reading Mother Land is like watching a slow-motion car crash…Mother Land is an exercise in mean-spirited score-settling. It’s also fun…the clambake in the assisted living facility where (Mother) celebrates her 102nd (birthday) is downright hilarious…Theroux possesses a fabulously nasty sense of humor…As for me, I enjoyed Mother Land against my will… a version of his cozening, calculating mother can be found in many homes. But I also found a little bit of myself here. Theroux ends up assassinating all of his characters, but I still enjoyed the play.” —Stephen King, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW “Delivers what is perhaps his most personal novel: an engrossing, emotionally tangled and often merciless examination of family and self… his prose succeeds. It excels when evoking the setting and weather. With painterly effect, he ties the Cape's harsh winters, muddy springs and splendid summers to the changing moods of his characters' relationships. Mother Land is a bittersweet, brutally frank family saga that offers enough redemption to make the journey worth it.” —SHELF AWARENESS “There is a thoroughly wised-up atmosphere… Theroux has always been a master at rendering regional accents in the right letters… This is indubitably pure Paul Theroux.” —THE HUDSON REVIEW “Detailed, intricate, and dark.” —LIBRARY JOURNAL “Theroux's Mother Land is hilarious and wicked… If you’ve never had a problem parent, Paul Theroux has one for you in his overwritten, overlong yet irresistible new novel, Mother Land… devilishly funny… Theroux has fashioned an unforgettable character here (two, counting the wonderfully insufferable Floyd) -- and he has given us a family for the ages.” —THE BUFFALO NEWS “Theroux has trafficked in troubled families before… But in Mother Land he takes it to a whole new level… antic and unpredictable… Jay’s portrait of the verbally extravagant Floyd (‘He hated a pithy declarative sentence like this one’) is a treat, whether they’re feuding or in cahoots… Theroux’s prose is suitably silky in its insinuations and vicious in its ability to claw... Theroux, fusing anguish and glee as he picks at the same raw scabs for 500-plus pages, evokes something truly memorable: a realm many come from, to which some of us have no desire to return.” —THE BOSTON GLOBE “Page by page, his Mother Land is engrossing and amusing, a sharp-eyed domestic comedy of greed, resentment and the ties that strangle… The Justus kids are clearly defined characters, each with recognizable tics and traits, but they don’t change much over time… Without stooping to sentimentality, the resolution of Mother Land is both moving and apt, the comedy and the tragedy deployed in equal measure.” —PORTLAND PRESS HERALD “Paul Theroux ladles a steaming cup of dysfunctional-family chowder in Mother Land.” —VANITY FAIR “The diminutive matriarch of a large Catholic family is the powerful center of Theroux’s engaging novel. Theroux creates an unsparing portrait of Mother… Theroux’s gifts for narrative drive and using darkly humorous descriptive details propel the plot through decades of the fractious lives of middle-aged siblings ceaselessly engaged in ins —
About the Author
Paul Theroux is the author of many highly acclaimed books. His novels include Burma Sahib, The Bad Angel Brothers, The Lower River, Jungle Lovers, and The Mosquito Coast, and his renowned travel books include Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, On the Plain of Snakes, and Dark Star Safari. He lives in Hawaii and on Cape Cod.
Product details
- Publisher : Mariner Books; Reprint edition (May 1, 2018)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 528 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1328915824
- ISBN-13 : 978-1328915825
- Item Weight : 14.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.31 x 1.29 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #579,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #8,729 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
- #9,228 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction
- #29,126 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
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Paul Theroux was born and educated in the United States. After graduating from university in 1963, he travelled first to Italy and then to Africa, where he worked as a Peace Corps teacher at a bush school in Malawi, and as a lecturer at Makerere University in Uganda. In 1968 he joined the University of Singapore and taught in the Department of English for three years. Throughout this time he was publishing short stories and journalism, and wrote a number of novels. Among these were Fong and the Indians, Girls at Play and Jungle Lovers, all of which appear in one volume, On the Edge of the Great Rift (Penguin, 1996).
In the early 1970s Paul Theroux moved with his wife and two children to Dorset, where he wrote Saint Jack, and then on to London. He was a resident in Britain for a total of seventeen years. In this time he wrote a dozen volumes of highly praised fiction and a number of successful travel books, from which a selection of writings were taken to compile his book Travelling the World (Penguin, 1992). Paul Theroux has now returned to the United States, but he continues to travel widely.
Paul Theroux's many books include Picture Palace, which won the 1978 Whitbread Literary Award; The Mosquito Coast, which was the 1981 Yorkshire Post Novel of the Year and joint winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and was also made into a feature film; Riding the Iron Rooster, which won the 1988 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award; The Pillars of Hercules, shortlisted for the 1996 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award; My Other Life: A Novel, Kowloon Tong, Sir Vidia's Shadow, Fresh-air Fiend and Hotel Honolulu. Blindness is his latest novel. Most of his books are published by Penguin.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the story compelling and engaging, providing insights into family life. They enjoy reading the book and find the writing quality first-class and authentic. However, some readers feel the pacing is repetitive and boring at times. There are mixed opinions on the humor - some find it hilarious and dark, while others think it's whining and repetitive. Opinions differ on the length - some find it immersive and worth the wait, while others consider it too long.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the story's compelling and engrossing tale of family life. They find the book provides insightful perspectives about family, writing, motherhood, and more. The writing style is described as great and fascinating, with sharp insights and profound psychological insights. Readers appreciate the author's humor and honesty, which provide perspective and hilarity.
"...the story also goes back in time at intervals, giving the reader a full and comprehensive background for this bickering bunch of shameless brothers..." Read more
"...The novel was so well written that when I got to the very last page my exclamation was, "great ending!" My only reason for one less star..." Read more
"...A disappointment to me, but others might enjoy. Theroux is a talented writer but this story is one big complaint after another and very self..." Read more
"...They are the most dysfunctional family in history and possibly the worst Mother...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book. They find it an engaging read and say it's a good book for book clubs.
"...It is always a joy to read an author who really knows how to use language, plus references to top literature...." Read more
"...So much fun to read as he unpeels the layers hiding the darkside...." Read more
"...everybody and sing, we are family,” and then sit back and enjoy this most awesome book." Read more
"...It came to me early on that he's an excellent writer. So I placed my reading self in his hands and went with his story and was not disappointed...." Read more
Customers praise the writing quality. They find the emotional turmoil authentic and the narrator believable. The author is described as a master of dialog, though some readers felt the narrators came off as sourpusses and pouters.
"...But, the writing is first class, and the emotional turmoil is authentic and gasp-inducing...." Read more
"...his family history, his courage in travelling the world, and his wonderful prose...." Read more
"...Narrated by one of the brothers, who is an author, he keenly keeps us abreast of what is going on...." Read more
"...It came to me early on that he's an excellent writer. So I placed my reading self in his hands and went with his story and was not disappointed...." Read more
Customers have different views on the humor. Some find it humorous and sarcastic, while others feel it's repetitive and whiny.
"...an exaggeration of family dynamics, but my golly, what a great bunch of miscreants...." Read more
"...Leavened by the narrator's dark sense of humor." Read more
"...Did not enjoy it at all. Lots of whining...." Read more
"Paul Theroux's most enjoyable novel for quite some time. Mordantly funny. The book kicks off with the following epigraph: "..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the book's length. Some find it immersive and worth reading, while others feel it's too long and repetitive.
"...It is long, even exhausting with the boiling rage overflowing and ceaseless, at times repetitive...." Read more
"Very long read. Made for a good book club discussion. Grew very weary of constant whiny tone and immature attitude of main character." Read more
"...I agree that it was repetitive at times, and could have been much shorter, but there's more than enough here to make up for excess length...." Read more
"This is a long and tedious book art times because of all the repetition...." Read more
Customers find the book's pacing repetitive and boring. They describe it as tedious, depressing, and uninteresting.
"...It is long, even exhausting with the boiling rage overflowing and ceaseless, at times repetitive...." Read more
"...of the sick way that family members can treat one another was not pleasurable reading. Nonetheless, Theroux has given us a well-crafted novel." Read more
"...writer but this story is one big complaint after another and very self indulgent." Read more
"After several false starts because the material seemed uninteresting, i began reading this book again determined to finish it because i knew his..." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2017Mother, already an “ancient fossil” when the book opens in Cape Cod, where her seven children were raised (eight, if you count Angela, the daughter who died just days old, but who Mother calls her Angel, full of advice and wisdom)—is the formidable matriarch of this latest novel by Paul Theroux. Let go of your idea of dysfunctional family and get ready for a vitriolic blast from first to last. Mother is 82 or so when the novel opens, and her seven living children—two are writers—are a product of her conniving, belittling, manipulative, wrathful-deity ways.
At times, I squirmed vocally while reading. You may never have read such a cruel, demanding, willful, spiteful, petty, savage mother in literature. Short of murder, this may be the worst behaving mother I’ve seen in literary history. Yet she somehow delivers her spite with a façade that appears kind and fair to those outside the family. The kids, now middle-aged, are a furious, depressing lot, some more than others. The story is narrated by one of the writer sons, Jay.
There isn’t much of a plot, but if you like character-based novels, MOTHER LAND is a seething, full cup for your Schadenfreude enjoyment. It is long, even exhausting with the boiling rage overflowing and ceaseless, at times repetitive. But, the writing is first class, and the emotional turmoil is authentic and gasp-inducing. Jay is likely the most insightful, although the other writer, Floyd (a bed-wetter as a child) is the most intellectually privileged, whose scholarly put-downs and schemes make for a perilously engaging scoundrel worth a blue ribbon for best wolf.
The novel spans about 20 years going forward; however, the story also goes back in time at intervals, giving the reader a full and comprehensive background for this bickering bunch of shameless brothers and sisters, triumphantly ruled by a reprehensible mother. Only a talent like Theroux can bring it on so thickly without turning this family into caricatures. Instead, it is frighteningly genuine, with tender empathy couched between the caustic parade of poison doled out by mother and her brood.
What is all this provocative toxicity for? I am still working that out. It’s more than shock treatment and less than an axe to grind. It’s not until you get to the last few words that you can form your opinion on the balance between damnation and redemption. Despite the malice and rancor, I was greatly satisfied when I finished the book. This isn’t for everyone. If constant animosity and revenge turn you off, it may be difficult for you to be a trouper to the end. I admit, I wondered whether I was going to make it to the end on occasion, puzzled what could possibly persuade me of any changes in anyone here. But, despite its consistent scorn, a nuance in the otherwise sardonic wit, and the drop of humanity now and then that emerged just when you thought you couldn’t take it any more, kept it from freezing my blood. At the finale, I was ever glad that I journeyed to the bitter end.
“The Furies! The betrayals! The cannibalism! It’s the House of Atreus!”
- Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2017I enjoyed Paul Theroux's language throughout the book. It is always a joy to read an author who really knows how to use language, plus references to top literature. The novel was so well written that when I got to the very last page my exclamation was, "great ending!" My only reason for one less star was that the family animosity got quite tedious. Real life family situations can be studies in dysfunction, however to read so many pages of the sick way that family members can treat one another was not pleasurable reading. Nonetheless, Theroux has given us a well-crafted novel.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2022Loved the Mosquito Coast which I read years and years ago so I had high hopes for this. Did not enjoy it at all. Lots of whining. Narrator (which is obviously autobiographical) tells us about the faults of his family without really proving them. A disappointment to me, but others might enjoy. Theroux is a talented writer but this story is one big complaint after another and very self indulgent.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2017Great read! Telling the truth to narcissistic power is one of the most difficult jobs on earth and most rewarding psychologically and least rewrding in the family of origin probably. I haven't finished this book yet but my god, what a crazy family: the ultimate dysfunctional and hateful family. So much fun to read as he unpeels the layers hiding the darkside. The family members are so mesmerized and so obsessed with providing naricissistic supply to the ignorant self-absorbed mother, that they see little else. And the critical brother! He is to grumpy Paul as a volcano is to a hot spring. Blessings on Paul/Jay for having the guts to carry on observing and naming names. It's a lonely job but someone in the family has to do it! Because without it, the games go on generation after generation. Some of it is indeed hilarious: A commitment ring? From a late middle-aged man? Love is truly blind. If he did indeed set himself up to get let out of that one, phew, good work.
How is it that narcissists are pathological liars? Because they find out they can get away with it. There is no statute of limitations on the damage they do for the same reason that there is none on murder. Forgiveness is possible but the scars are permanent. Decades may pass but the damage remains, sometimes unrecognized which is the worst scenario of all.
Theroux has always been one of my favorite writers and I am in awe of his courage in facing his family history, his courage in travelling the world, and his wonderful prose. which especially sparkles in this book in his description of his time in Mexico, and in his exchanges with his insanely pedantic brother.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2022After several false starts because the material seemed uninteresting, i began reading this book again determined to finish it because i knew his writing skill would eventually kick in and get me hooked. If you haven't read any of Theroux's books, this one will not make sense and will probably bore you. I've read most of his books, some of them twice, and i feel i know Paul Theroux personally, even though i've never met him.
Because of that familiarity, i came to realize the book is autobiographical. It appears that the first person author, Jay, describes Paul Theroux's life and career, which as a reader of most of his books, i clearly recognize. With Motherland, I feel i got to know Paul Theroux even better than i thought possible. Motherland seems to fill in explanations of his personal life that verify Paul the person one comes to know from reading his other books. It fills in the gaps of time between his travel chronologies with a picture of the rest of his life and explains some of his personality quirks. Yes, it's a novel because of the name changes and perhaps some details, but i feel like i got to know Paul Theroux better than ever. I'm glad i read it.
Top reviews from other countries
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CondearandaReviewed in Spain on August 10, 2018
4.0 out of 5 stars Rencor o franqueza
Su sinceridad es áspera y dura, duele. A veces veo en el libro un pozo de rencor o pura venganza, la dureza que muestra con su madre me asombra, espanta y a veces horroriza, pero por otra parte no parece mentir, ni exagerar ni irse a la ficción. La familia un espanto pero él se reconoce como parte de ellos... ¿cómo puede un hermano (Floyd) criticarlo de ese modo? ¿y cómo puede el autor perdonarle tan tranquilamente? ¿cómo pueden todos llevarse tan mal?
Su lectura me deja estupefacto y asombrado, a veces también se me hacía pesado un poco repetitivo y no acabo de entender su adición a una relación tan tóxica.
Los últimos capítulos son maravillosos, tiernos y se descubre un P Theroux humano, bueno, humano con su "mother land" o al menos con su madre, quizá es el amor por Ángela.
No tengo muy claros mis sentimientos pero es bonita, digna de leerse y siempre queda esa duda si es una historia sobre su madre o simplemente una venganza llena de rencor.
Yo, la recomiendo, como casi todos los libros de P Theroux.
- Mary BhallaReviewed in India on July 21, 2017
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Expected a Penguin be as in newspaper review.However will do.
- RobertReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 20, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating and brave book
A mix of fact and fiction reminiscent of a couple of other Theroux books. The usual wonderful writing is enough in itself to make the book worthwhile. The mother's character has a little of each of the people who have been important in my upbringing, and will have a resonance for most readers. A fascinating and brave book. Robert Acton
- KevinReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2024
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book
A very insightful book and engaging storytelling.
- meryltomblinReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2018
3.0 out of 5 stars I expected better from this well known author.
Having looked up Paul Theroux on Wikipedia this novel is semi autobiographical. What is not mentioned is the effect his mother had on him and his siblings. In the book Jay the narrator is one of seven siblings His mother is featured strongly throughout as being a strong matriarchal character dominating her family from their childhood years until they themselves become pensioners. The mother cosiderably fitter than most of her children dies aged 102. Until the end she is revered by her sons and daughters. Much of the novel is centred on the squabbling siblings. Rivalry, jealousy, and in the end intense hated. I could not sympathise with any of the characters. They as well as the 'mother' were appalling in their behaviour and the eternal fighting and bitchiness which went on became in the end tedious in the extreme.